Iran latest: Fifth ship boarded in US blockade of Iranian vessels

U.S. Marines boarded an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday, on suspicion that the crew intended to run the American blockade.

After seizing the ship, U.S. forces searched the vessel that was believed to be heading toward an Iranian port and directed the crew to change its course, U.S. Central Command reported in a post that included video of the confrontation. The post also noted that 91 commercial ships have been redirected as a result of the blockade.

It’s at least the fifth commercial vessel U.S. forces have boarded since the Trump administration imposed the blockade on Iranian shipping in mid-April, several days into a ceasefire.

The Senate could vote as soon as Thursday on a resolution that would require President Donald Trump to gain congressional approval for the conflict in Iran or withdraw U.S. troops. After repeated tries by Democrats, the measure advanced on Tuesday after Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy flipped his vote and supported the resolution. 

Here's the latest:

New Iranian general believed in control of negotiations

6:33 a.m. ET: An Iranian general linked to several attacks over the past decades is believed to have seized a place near the center of power.

After the breakdown of the initial negotiations, Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who heads Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, has become the main point of contact for those negotiating with Iran, said a regional official with direct knowledge of the mediation. 

A longtime veteran of the ruling system, Vahidi has supported militant groups across the region. He was also accused of having a role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Argentina, and in 2022, led domestic security forces in a bloody crackdown on protesters.